App2Me is a new service that, simply by downloading a widget, provides you with convenient access to every function your Ricoh multifunction printer has without the need for difficult settings. Now, this brand new and easy-to-use technology is getting a lot of attention from the industry. App2Me is the result of our employees’ desire to “give customers more access to the functions of the MFPs”. Mr. Adachi Shinichi from the MFP Business Group, Product Planning Department is one of those employees. Mr. Adachi, who is currently in charge of App2Me strategy, has 6 years and a half of experience working in Ricoh’s laboratories in Silicon Valley. During that time in Silicon Valley, he came up with the ideas that App2Me is based on. Here is a short interview with Mr. Adachi discussing the ideas behind App2Me and how development started.
“We received many customers concerns about the functions on MFPs, for example, “I don’t know how to use the MFP functions and the settings are too complicated” Looking back to those comments at that time, Mr. Adachi always thought on “What is the best way to make our customers happy and bring them a solution on how to easily use our MFPs”, then, he suddenly realized that “Everyone is not familiar on using the operation panel at the MFPs, but Everyone can manipulate perfectly PCs and cellular phones”.
---Yes, there certainly are people who have trouble with technology like MFPs, but are still able to download applications and games on their PCs or Cellular Phones.
“Yes, that’s right. So I thought if people have trouble with the MFP itself but can easily operate their PC or cell phone, let’s take the MFP to the PC or cell phone. That’s how App2Me was born”
---I get it; it’s really a change in thinking.
“Yes; our MFPs include many useful features, and I wanted our customers to take advantage of all those of them. App2Me, once downloaded, simplifies operations more than ever, and therefore, allows our customers to be more comfortable when working.
And since App2Me’s widget architecture allows 3rd parties to develop widgets, the MFP should become even easier to use.”
---What do you mean by ‘comfortable’?
“For example, imagine that you want to reduce paper costs and reduce the environmental impact, then, simply use the duplex print function in the MFP that allows you to print on both sides of a page. But a lot of people don’t know that this function exist, or they simply feel that the settings for this function are too complicated and give up. We made the “Eco-friendly Print” widget for such customers so they can reduce paper costs and reduce their environmental impact too. But there are many more functions on the MFP, and so there are many more solutions too. Examples include printing without worrying about driver settings or sending a print job to another MFP if the selected MFP is busy or in use. These functions become easily accessible through the use of widgets.
Therefore, it is perhaps best said that “App2Me does not change the functions of the MFP. It changes the way they are delivered to us.”
